And Nothing Else Matters
by Saesama
Summary: Sequel to 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' Cloud is slowly loosing it as he tries to find his light, the one who he was charged with delivering a message to, the one who can save him from slipping away from reality, and it sure as heck ain't Aerith. Part 2 of 3


Yes, the long-awaited sequel to 'For Whom the Bell Tolls'. Cloud-centric this time. The third part centers on Cid and ends the series, which will be out soon.  
  
Kingdom Hearts and all involved characters belong to Squaresoft and/or Disney. I make no money from doing this.  
  
o o o  
  
So close, no matter how far  
  
Couldn't be much more from the heart  
  
Forever trust in who we are  
  
And nothing else matters  
  
o o o  
  
He searched.   
  
The gummi-ship was damaged in their unceremonious crash landing, far beyond the skill of either of them or anyone they met. Philoctetes, the short, bad-tempered Satyr, had found them a place to stay near the Colosseum they had crashed into. They had spent the first month on the strange planet not talking beyond thank you's and soft requests. It was rare for one to look at the other, much less speak to each other.  
  
He looked.  
  
Once the shock of losing their world passed, Master and student managed to bring some semblance of normality to their lives. They opened up a bit more, both towards their hosts and each other, carefully avoiding any talk of Hollow Bastion. They trained in the Colosseum, becoming stronger, learning the ways of the world they had landed on. Then, comfortable with the language and mannerisms of the world, they left.  
  
They tried to find them.  
  
When they left Hollow Bastion, and all the way through his recuperation from the broken leg he suffered when they 'landed', Cloud's memories of Hollow Bastion and his friends were fresh and crystal clear. But soon after he and Sephiroth left the Colosseum and the city of Rome, he began to forget. Little details at first, but his amnesia spread wider and deeper with every passing week. He clung to his most important memories; his mother, his home, Cid and the children who escaped, but they slowly faded, like a photograph left in the sunlight, until he was barely grasping at his own identity, desperate for any glimpse of his past, desperate for a reason to continue on.  
  
And, ironically, his amnesia gave him a purpose. He became convinced that, if he could find the one he looked for, his memory would return. His dreams were haunted by a shadowy, bloody figure whispering, pleading, _give him that...... tell him I'm sorry....... tell him I love him...... tell him.  
  
Tell him.  
  
Give him.  
  
Remember my message.  
  
Take care.  
  
Remember.  
  
I'm sorry.  
  
Go.  
_  
And in his dreams, Cloud would reach for the man that the bloody person told him to find, could almost see what he looked like again, could almost remember why he had agreed to deliver his burden and his message, but black shadow-shapes would spring up and drag him back and he would wake up with both hands jammed over his mouth to stifle a scream.  
  
It had been two years since he had seen his teacher, two years that he spent on a steady, downward descent into madness. His teacher had cast aside his student and his purpose, embracing insanity with open arms. Cloud couldn't do that. Instead, he latched onto his burden all the more firmly, wearing the cloak, the ankh, the gauntlet even though the arm-covering was long gone and it had been reduced down to a metallic glove that he never removed. His message was burned into his mind, although he had long ago forgotten the voice and the name of the one who had told it to him. He clung to these last remnants of his lost life like a drowning person clung to scraps of driftwood to stay afloat. And he was sinking just as fast.  
  
And a life-saver appeared in the form of a dark God.  
  
Hades had come to him with a contract and a claim of knowing where he could find the one he looked for. Desperate and drowning, Cloud had accepted, even though the contract had called for cloud to kill Hercules, a demi-god he considered a friend. It didn't matter. All that mattered was that he delivered his message.  
  
Which led to the current situation, which was Cloud leaning against a stone wall in the Colosseum, barely listening to Hades rave and rant. His wing stirred, the tips of thin bones brushing his ribs. The wing was his last connection to his teacher, his lover, his friend, his enemy. Sephiroth wore it's mirror openly, proudly, as Cloud hid it beneath the heavy cloth of his cloak. It responded to the feel of battle in the air, urging him to fight, to slash, to kill, kill, kill. It prodded his side, begging him to release it and his powers, drawn from the dark corners of his mind where Sephiroth laughed still.  
  
"See that kid? That is your next opponent. Now don't blow this, just take him out."  
  
As he calmly mocked the god, he had to fight the urge to laugh hysterically. The god was a fool. When the idiot lowered himself to pathetic attempts at humor, Cloud straightened and walked away, his mind already on the upcoming battle with the spiky-haired boy and his pets in the arena.  
  
o o o  
  
Never opened myself this way  
  
Life is ours, we live it our way.  
  
All these words I just don't say  
  
And nothing else matters.  
  
o o o  
  
Cloud heard the argument before he could see the participants. He turned a corner to find a young man and an even younger woman glaring at each other. "I can handle myself, you should know." The woman was saying.  
  
The man snorted, crossing his arms over his chest "You can't handle yourself for that long and you know it." He said icily. "You'd be out before you got half-way."  
  
The woman - just barely not a girl anymore - huffed and turned sharply. "I'm fighting alone anyway!" She called back over her shoulder, stalking off, the definition of offended pride. The man rubbed tiredly at his brow before turning - and coming face to face with Cloud.   
  
The two looked over each other for a long moment, expertly sizing each other up. Cloud was the first to break the silence, extending one hand and asking "Looking for a partner?"  
  
The other narrowed his eyes sharply, hesitating for a moment before shaking the proffered hand. "Yeah, I guess I am." He said quietly.   
  
A tiny voice in the muddled depths of Cloud's mind called out desperately, claiming to know this strange young man with storm-gray eyes, claiming that a single word, a small name, could be the first step along the final leg of his search. just a name, one name, one word, one damned syllable-  
  
What name?  
  
"Excuse me?"   
  
Cloud blinked, realizing that he had muttered the question aloud. "I asked what your name was." He said softly, his eyes refusing to leave the other's face.  
  
The man's lips quirked into an almost-smile. "Does it matter?" he asked.  
  
_Yes!_The tiny voice screamed. _Yes it matters, who are you?!_ Instead of asking the question aloud, Cloud returned the quirked smile and shook his head. "I guess not." He replied. "C'mon, I have a place we can train in before it all starts." He turned and walked off, the other close behind, and shoved down the wailing voice in his mind. He had other concerns. Like surviving the Hades Cup.  
  
o o o  
  
Trust I seek, and I find in you  
  
Every day for us something new  
  
Open mind for a different view  
  
And nothing else matters  
  
o o o  
  
_We've met....... we've fought before.......... i know him...... but he knows me, too........  
_  
These thoughts chased Cloud out of unconsciousness. He opened his eyes to the sight of the infirmary ceiling and Megora's face leaning over him. He sat up slowly, rubbing at his face as Meg rolled her eyes, warning him to take it easy even though she knew he never would. His partner was already sitting up and drinking what appeared to be water out of a small clay cup. Cloud winced as his movements jarred his forearm, which had a nice, blistered burn swathed in bandages, courtesy Sora's favorite Firaga spell.   
  
Cloud studied his partner quietly. The other man knew him as well, too well for having just met him. They fought together like they had been partners all their lives, slicing through the Heartless opponents like knives through butter until they had come up against the impenetrable wall of Sora, Donald and Goofy. Speaking of which......   
  
"The last couple matches are happing now." Megora said before he could even open his mouth. "If you hurry, you might be in time to watch Sora kick Hades' flaming butt to the moon."   
  
Cloud grinned and hopped out of bed, careful of his injured arm. "Thanks, Meg, I owe you one!" He called over his shoulder, jogging out, his injured arm cradled against his side.   
  
Footsteps behind him alerted him to the presence of his partner, who had a sprained wrist in a splint and a lovely gash across his forehead, wrapped in white cloth. Cloud merely nodded to him and ducked into a seldom-used side hall, heading for the arena seats, determined to watch the end of the tournament.   
  
Loud cheers greeted them as they emerged, signaling the end of a match. Cloud craned his neck, catching sight of Hades being forcibly ejected from the arena, and grinned. "He won again." He told the man beside him.  
  
"I see that." He replied dryly. "Can we go find somewhere to sit, please?" Cloud rolled his eyes, leading them to a box in the middle of the stands, where Phil and Hercules were avidly watching the matches below. The demi-god gave them a half-distracted wave as the settled into two seats, padded, unlike the rest of the stadium.  
  
The battles were over too soon and Sora and his friends were brought up to the box and presented with the Hades Cup. He grinned at the two older fighters, waving as he left. "Getting to be a cocky li'l bastard." Phil muttered as they all filed out of the box.   
  
"He is the current champion." Hercules pointed out. "He has every reason to be."  
  
Philrolled his eyes. Cloud split away from the demi-god and his trainer, noting that his 'partner' followed him. He turned to ask where the man was heading but was interrupted by a figure that launched out of the crowd and latched onto the man's uninjured arm. "THERE you are!" Said a young voice that grated on Cloud's memory. "I was looking _everywhere_ for you!" The young woman from before was grinning up at the taller man. "Let's go home, huh?"   
  
The man sighed and nodded, looking at Cloud and holding out one hand. "Nice fighting."  
  
"Same to you." Cloud replied, shaking his hand. "Good luck."  
  
The woman looked at him, half-hazy recognition in her eyes before she blinked and smiled. "Nice meetin' ya, whoever you are. Now come ON, Leon!" She said, tugging the man's arm. He rolled his eyes again as he was dragged away, towards where the few Gummi-ships were kept during the tournaments.   
  
Cloud stood there for a long moment, unmindful of the glances directed at him. His head was bowed, his fists clenched, his teeth worrying at his lip and his mind reeling. He knew them, he knew them both, the grinning woman and the silent man, he knew why the man carried the weapon he did, he knew the weapon itself, he had seen it that night, the night everything went to hell, she had called him Leon, Leon, did he know a Leon? No but he remembered a lion, Leon the lion, lion, Lion? Lion?   
  
Lion......heart?  
  
Cloud ran for the small yard containing the small number of Gummi-ships. His brain screamed at him, the tiny, ignored voice now a full chorus going at full volume. Leon the Lion Lionheart he had been with _him_ he would know where _he_ was he could help him Lionheart _Squall _Lionheart Squall had been his name the one word he had needed the one who could help him the one who could take him to _him_-  
  
Cloud nearly screamed when he reached the yard and saw only Sora's ship waiting. No other ships, no quiet figure with shaggy hair and piercing eyes, no Leon, no _Squall,_ nothing but Sora's ship gleaming brightly in the dusty yard. He fell to his knees, his head touching the ground and his hands tangled in his hair. He didn't realize he was weeping until he opened his eyes and saw the dusty ground spotted with moisture from his tears.   
  
"Dammit." He whispered. They'd been here, he'd been so close, and the chance had slipped through his fingers. His gauntleted hand pounded the ground, cracking the surface, but he hardly noticed. His mind was reeling as he realized how close he had been to his goal, his reason, to his sanity and his memories.....  
  
A hand on his arm gently lifted him, drew him into a strong embrace. He buried his face into a firm shoulder, his arms latching around the waist of the person that held him, their strong, capable hands stroking his hair, his back, the fine bones of his wing-  
  
Cloud froze. Only one person had ever touched the strange appendage. He stepped back a bit, looking up into the person's face.  
  
Sephiroth.  
  
"Lionheart." Cloud whispered. "He was here, he could've-"  
  
"Shh." A hand clad in supple leather came up and gripped his chin gently. "It will all be over soon, one way or another." The man breathed. Cloud's eyes slid closed as lips pressed against his forehead, relaxing into the embrace.  
  
"I'm just so tired." Cloud whispered harshly as more kisses were placed along his cheeks, taking away the tears that streaked his skin. "I'm so sick of fighting and dying and going crazy."  
  
Sephiroth cupped Cloud's face in both hands, leaning his forehead against the younger man's. "Either Ansem will destroy us all," He said softly. "Or that boy with the key will destroy him. Either way, we shall rest." Their lips met, soft and comforting and lingering.  
  
Cloud broke the kiss with a soft sigh. "I hope so." He said, barely audible.  
  
o o o  
  
Never cared for what they do  
  
Never cared for what they know  
  
But I know  
  
o o o  
  
Cloud stared at the approaching figure, unmindful of the tears that fell down his cheeks. The same blond hair untouched by age, the same cocky stride, the same strong arms that ended in gentle and talented hands, the same eyes as fierce and blue and untamable as the sky itself; as he approached Cloud's mind swam with memory, memory of the man that was grinning at him, gods, it was even the same _grin.  
_  
"Holy sonuvabitch! Where in the hell have you two been?!"  
  
Cloud couldn't help but let out a laugh that was half sob. The same foul mouth as well, it seemed.   
  
Cid wrapped his arms around Cloud's shoulders in a strong embrace that conveyed more joy and relief than any words. Cloud returned it, desperate to be sure that Cid was real, really real, that this wasn't the best of dreams that would turn into the cruelest nightmare when he awoke. Cid broke the embrace reluctantly, his eyes warm as he looked at Sephiroth, an odd smile on his lips. he stood Cloud at arm's length, taking in his height, his physique, his odd choice of clothing. Cloud saw the man's eyes frown at the gauntlet and the cloak, darkening so slightly it was hard to credit.  
  
"Is he here?"  
  
Cloud winced at the hope and fear mingled in Cid's voice. He didn't have to ask who Cid spoke of, not anymore. His memories of Hollow Bastion were now as clear as if they had left yesterday. He reached beneath his shirt and the cloak and found the thread-thin mythril chain and the charm that hung from it - the ankh that didn't flutter anymore against his skin. He unfastened the chain and held it out to Cid, more tears falling from his eyes, tears of grief. "He said he's sorry." Cloud whispered. "He said to give you this and to tell you that he's sorry and that he loves you. He-he never left Hollow Bastion. I-" He broke off, unable to continue in the face of Cid's painfully obvious grief. Even if it meant living the rest of his life insane with amnesia, he would do anything to take back his words, to not be the one that had to tell Cid this, to not have to see the shock and hurt and grief and rage and sorrow etched onto his face.  
  
The mechanic reached out a hand that unsteadily wrapped around the ankh. Cloud released the chain and Cid looked at the charm in his palm, quietly studying the dark carvings and blood-red stone. He fastened the chain around his own neck and slid the charm beneath his shirt, where it rested against his own ankh.   
  
Sephiroth walked past the mechanic, pausing just within the man's peripheral vision. "I take it we're going back to Hollow Bastion?" He asked softly.  
  
Cid looked up, past Cloud's shoulder, past the sky, past time itself. "Yeah," He replied, just as soft. "Whatever happens, we're gonna be home to see it. The others are already there."  
  
Cloud smiled crookedly. "Aerith and Yuffie and-and Squall?" He asked.   
  
"Leon now, but yeah, they're all there." Cid's lips quirked in a ghost of his old smirk. "They'll sure as hell be surprised to see you."  
  
Cloud laughed brokenly, walking towards the mechanic and the ship beyond. "You have _no _idea." He muttered.  
  
o o o  
  
So close, no matter how far  
  
Couldn't be much more from the heart  
  
Forever trusting in who we are  
  
No, nothing else matters  
  
-- Nothing Else Matters, Metallica 


End file.
